TUES UPDATE: HBK Appreciation ceremony, more from Raw, why JTG was so upset, UFC show debuts tonight, FOX ratings, Gail Kim marriage on TV but not on Impact, tons more

Tuesday, 07 August 2012 11:46

By Bryan Alvarez |
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We're looking for your thoughts on Saturday night's UFC on FOX, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to
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.

We're also looking for reports on these shows from the weekend:

*WWE Raw on Friday night in Jacksonville

*TNA on Friday night in Enid, OK

*WWE Raw on Saturday night in Albany, GA

*TNA on Saturday night in Oklahoma City

*WWE Raw from last night in Dothan

*TNA from last night in Tulsa

Smackdown will be taped on Tuesday in Houston.

We've got a popularity chart, including currently active participants and legends, with notes on how pro wrestling, boxing and MMA differ when it comes to both current and enduring popularity. We also have a chart listing the rankings at this point with those of the past three years so you can see who is gaining and losing steam.

We look at people over pushed, under pushed, the difference between boxing enduring legends, who have become the biggest new stars this year, who have faded, the current value of UFC and WWE championships in making stars, do UFC fans by and large want to see smaller guys and who is pro wrestling's most enduring legend worldwide.

We also have a piece on the history of wrestling on television following up last week's story on the longest lasting TV shows in wrestling history. We look at Georgia television wrestling prior to TBS, as well as how Ronald Reagan changed television and how that changed pro wrestling from the 70s to the 80s and paved the way for Vince McMahon's changing of the business. We also look back at how Gordon Solie got to be the national voice of wrestling.

We also look at the surgery Great Khali underwent, why John Laurinaitis was demoted from his real position and how the talent department has changed in recent months and different people who have replaced Laurinaitis at his job. We also look at how Laurinaitis got to WWE and became head of talent relations. We have an update on SummerSlam, a look at the Linda McMahon campaign, how much the McMahon family has lost in the last two years as well as Linda McMahon taking credit for WWE but not wanting to talk about it. We've got more notes from backstage at Raw 1,000, what happened between Bruno Sammartino and Steve Austin, Another WWE tryout camp coming, update on WWE 13 the video game, more on Chris Jericho's schedule as well as updated plans for Raw and Smackdown house shows and who will be on what tours after SummerSlam.

We also have our monthly business rundown of live attendance, DVDs, web site numbers and more.

We also have notes on next week's Raw, AW, Tensai, NXT tapings, a WWE developmental wrestler arrested, someone who just arrived in developmental, as well as a rundown of the weekend business and the weekend house shows.

We also have a look at the business of women's MMA and some staggering figures if one chooses to believe them regarding Invicta Fighting Championships.

Our look at Olympians who became pro wrestling stars looks at a 1940 name, Ed Virag, who was for a brief period of time, Sam Muchnick's headliner after World War II when he first got started and was an early NWA world champion.

We also have a look at how No Way Out did on PPV with a comparison to last year.

The issue will be up on the site today if you are a web site member. We also have a new back issue on the site from 1995 just put up talking about the financial effects of the PPV business at that time and the back story behind the relationship and announcement of the engagement of Kensuke Sasaki and Akira Hokuto.

The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

The Observer is now in its 29th year of being the leading insider pro wrestling publication in the world. The biggest and most influential names in the pro wrestling and MMA industry, from bookers to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the biggest names on camera and behind the scenes, along with thousands of readers in all 50 states and more than 30 countries subscribe. Many have subscribed for 20 years or longer consecutively. They get the most detailed and inside coverage of what is going on all over the world. Everywhere from Wall Street to the major offices to television networks in the U.S. and Japan turn to the Observer for what is going on in the business.

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You can also subscribe via check, cash or money order, as well as credit card by mail, by sending to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, P.O Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228.

We also have a look at the ratings of all the major shows and complete details on how every segment of Raw this past week did. We look at what segments gained and lost viewers

We also have results from all the major league arena events over the past week as well as a look at all the major television shows.

Also in this week's issue:

--What happened to this week's Friday night TV taping in Mexico City

--History of Arena Mexico having to cancel wrestling including how one of the most famous matches in history led to a several week period when no matches are allowed in the arena.

--Several anniversary shows honoring veteran wrestlers

--The last TV taping before TripleMania and what famous angle did they reprise

--A look at TripleMania

--Notes on the annual Lucha Libre fan fest and who isn't going to be involved this year

--A look at the Dragon Gate USA weekend shows

--All Japan plans its next big show and what decision is being made right now regarding the Triple Crown

--A look at the finals of the All Japan annual junior heavyweight tournament and standings

--All Japan opening up a new market

--More on TNA stars in Japan

--New Japan enters iPPV business and lineup

--What Olympian is already getting looks from a major pro wrestling company and why

--A look at the star power of wrestlers in Japan

--Hall of Famer undergoes back surgery

--A look at the life of a pivotal figure in the history of women's pro wrestling as well as country music

--Lots more on the situation with Davey Richards, Kyle O'Reilly and Tony Kozina

--Questions ROH has to ask about Richards

--ROH tag team tournament notes

--Notes on TNA contracts

--More on the Aces and 8s identities

--Current TV taping schedule for TNA

--Update on Hardcore Justice PPV card

--Notes on who is Sam Shaw and thoughts on TNA Gut Check

--TNA house show notes for the weekend

--More on Jon Jones sentencing

--A look at the FOX UFC card

--Dana White's talk about the next light heavyweight title contender and evaluating all the leading candidates

--A look at UFC booking between now and the end of the year with the big fights expected

--How Kurt Angle's name came up in UFC this past week

--Tons of new UFC matches

--Thoughts on Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

--Who got pulled from a TV slot because of a prior offense

--Bellator's future

--An arrest of a former world champion after a brawl at a rave

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For the rest of the world, rates are $15.50 for 4, $41 for 12, $78 for 24, $126 for 40 issues and $163 for 52 .

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We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods.

To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $10 for shipping costs to Canada and $12 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

Today's News, Notes and Links

-- For last night, the Olympics did a 17.5 rating in the top 55 metered market ratings.

-- Countdown to UFC 150 debuts tonight on FUEL. The show takes place Saturday from the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO:

-- I highly doubt this will be online for long, but the Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night ceremony that took place after Raw is here. It's about thirteen minutes long. Hopefully they add this to a future Shawn Michaels DVD as it was really cool.

-- Whether he gets slaughtered on the go-home show next week or not, and Brock Lesnar certainly teased that was going to happen, HBK is scheduled to be in Hunter's corner at SummerSlam.

-- Shawn on Twitter last night: Thoroughly enjoyed play'in "the big deal" last nite in front of my hometown & my #MRA buddies but now it's back to the familia, ranch, work!

-- UFC on FOX last Saturday finished with a 1.4 rating and 2.4 million viewers going head-to-head with the Olympics. The prelims also did 194,000 viewers on FUEL, an all-time record for a non-main card show on that network.

-- Travis Browne vs. Antonio Silva on October 5th at the Target Center for UFC on FX 5 will be five rounds/

-- The ROH Best in the World DVD with an awesome Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole match is available on their website today.

-- As talked about on last night's Wrestling Observer show, JTG's Twitter rant last night read: "The camels back just BROKE ! I had enought of this ... As a pro athlete,Im tired of me and my lockerroom brothers being taken advantage of . Fans have no idea what we go through.#itsanillusion ... Yea I said it ... Nobody wants to speak up, everybodys afraid of losing their job or getting taken off TV."

He was far from the only undercard wrestler who was upset about their WrestleMania payoff, which was said to be just a few thousand dollars.

Former partner Shad Gaspard today tweeted: "Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid, but still fighting for what's right. I Stand With @Jtg1284 . How about You? RT if U do"

-- Gail Kim's wedding to celebrity chef Robert Irvine is going to air on August 18th at 10 PM on the Food Network during a special called, of all things, WEDDING IMPOSSIBLE. It's a take-off of their other IMPOSSIBLE series', but man, what a title.

-- An updated on the WXW weekend shows: Johnny Moss, who would have been in the "post-show/unregulated" main-event of the 8/11 wXw Fan Appreciation Night 1 against Jon Ryan and potentially in a world title match on Night 2 (8/12), had to have surgery for a bad staph infection on his right arm last Saturday. He has to go to the hospital for regular check-ups and cleaning of the wound and won't be able to train/work for another 4-6 weeks, so sadly he is out of this weekend's wXw shows as well as wXw's AMBITION 3 (UWF/UWF-I/RINGS-style worked-shoot card) on 9/14. As there are scheduling conflicts with Moss and Ryan after that, the big "I Quit, You're Better Than Me" blow-off match to their feud will now probably take place at the 12th Anniversary show on 12/8. Jon Ryan will still be in the No. 1. contender tournament on Night 1 and will face Karsten Beck instead (with the other matches being Davey Richards/Axeman and Bad Bones/Big van Walter, as well as El Generico (c)/Tommy End for the title, with the winners facing off in a four way on Night 2).

-- “UFC Ultimate Insider” on FUEL tonight takes a fight-by-fight look into the sensational success of Benson Henderson, as the lightweight champion reveals the fight that changed his career, and how he looks to defeat Edgar again. Then, Michael Bisping is wired for sound at UFC 148 and gives his surprising and candid reaction to the dramatic finish of the epic fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Finally, Strikeforce Champion Ronda Rousey joins “UFC Ultimate Insider” host Jon Anik in studio to discuss her amazing rise as a fighter, the potential of her upcoming “super fight,” and the future of women’s MMA.

--ExtremePrinter.com has signed on as the official sponsor of WWNLive.com, including Dragon Gate USA, EVOLVE and SHINE Wrestling.

-- Andy writes: "In today's Portland Press Herald, there is a story about yesterday's Jets training camp brawl claiming that Tebowmania had turned into Wrestlemania. Somehow I don't see Tebow challenging The Rock or even Yoshi Tatsu. Thought you'd be interested."

What did you think of Saturday's ROH TV show?Excellent 22.5% Good 40.0% Average 17.5% Fair 2.5% Poor 17.5% ***65.8% of those responding didn't see the show

What was the biggest news story of July?1,000th Raw 47.1% Silva vs. Sonnen build up and match 25.6% Raw goes to three hours 11.7% Punk starts heel turn 5.1% DirecTV/Viacom issues 4.7% UFC sets record medium market gate but crowd turns on show 3.0% Death of Dara Singh 1.9% TNA goes to three hours, canceled after first week 0.5% Cena fails to cash in Money in the Bank 0.5%